The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 148
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Crackle!
I unleashed high-voltage electricity at the golem’s mana core, halting its operation.
Since the Iron Golem’s body was composed of steel, it possessed high conductivity, making it possible to shatter the mana core by channeling electricity through it multiple times.
Of course, compared to Varisa, it was a far more tedious and time-consuming method.
‘Their numbers keep increasing.’
Was this the will of the Evil God?
At first, Iron Golems appeared one at a time, then in pairs, but now more than five emerge at once.
This situation was beginning to strain even me.
If I simply destroyed them indiscriminately, I could certainly manage it.
But the method of targeting only the mana core proved quite troublesome.
“Hold the line!”
“We have sufficient materials, so don’t worry about damage—just smash them however you can!”
Fortunately, the Dwarf Warriors stepped forward to help.
According to their words, materials seemed abundant enough now, so I was beginning to consider engaging in genuine combat myself.
And for good reason.
“Grrrrrrrr—.”
“More are coming!”
“So many Iron Golems converging at the entrance of the mine…?”
“Can we even hold them back?”
“There are far too many!”
Iron Golems continued surging from behind in an endless tide.
As the massive Iron Golems pressed forward, the spacious corridor of the First Abandoned Mine felt increasingly cramped.
At that moment, deciding that I must prioritize securing the perimeter even if it meant postponing research, I drew my weapon in earnest.
“Moeldum’s first golem! Steel Rock One, deploying!”
An Iron Golem came rushing forward with thunderous footsteps from behind.
Boom!
It collided with the Iron Golem approaching from the front.
The dwarves had succeeded in activating the golem.
Faster speed than the original Iron Golems, refined and strategic movements—
It was an exceptional golem, hardly believable as one activated for the first time.
Yet I detected something peculiar about that golem.
‘Is someone riding it directly?’
Behind the golem.
Where the mana core should have been positioned, a dwarf was seated.
It appeared the dwarf was piloting the golem while riding directly inside it.
‘Why would they do that?’
The dwarf golem mages I remembered didn’t operate this way.
After all, what was my reason for showing the dwarves the control device in the first place?
The dwarves of the First era, originally.
In other words, the ancestors of today’s dwarves used remote controllers to operate golems from a distance.
But now, the current dwarves suddenly changed their method of operation and began boarding the golems themselves.
‘…It actually suits them quite well.’
It was certainly an unexpected approach.
Yet it works better than I anticipated.
After all, dwarves are smaller compared to humans, so they fit snugly inside the golem’s body.
The problem was that the pilot—the Blacksmith—had been startled by merely the sight of a golem just moments before.
And yet.
“Hahahaha! Behold the power of Stillock Unit 1!”
The Blacksmith operated the golem with remarkable skill, felling enemies with ease.
‘This looks a bit dangerous.’
The advantages and disadvantages were clear.
The advantage was that by piloting directly from inside, more precise control and faster reactions were possible.
The disadvantage was that the safety of the pilot was not guaranteed.
For that reason.
“Let’s help quickly.”
“Oh! I need to focus!”
“The scene was so intense I found myself frozen without realizing it.”
“Let’s join forces!!”
The Dwarf Warrior and I stepped forward to assist him.
And so.
“Stillock Unit 2, deploying!”
Another golem was created.
Naturally, a dwarf was piloting this one as well.
Normally, Iron Golems are said to possess only hostility toward intruders instead of intelligence, resulting in simple attack patterns.
“Haha! I discovered this through research! The core’s location varies slightly, but it’s always in the chest! The weak point is the lower body! The center of gravity is higher than expected!”
The golem piloted by the dwarf felt entirely different.
Its movements seemed more agile, and above all, with that massive golem body executing techniques and employing diverse attack patterns.
It didn’t feel like we simply gained a single Iron Golem ally—it felt like we’d secured twice the combat power of an Iron Golem.
Thanks to that.
Crash!
“Phew! It’s finished!”
“Stillock, was it? Impressive.”
“It’s not inferior to our warriors, is it?”
“…To be honest, it’s stronger than us. Remarkable.”
We were able to defeat all the approaching golems far more easily than expected.
After concluding the battle, I approached the Blacksmith, who remained absorbed in his research.
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations? Without you providing such excellent materials and knowledge, Mir, this would have been impossible.”
Originally, the Blacksmiths had seemed distrustful of me as an outsider.
But now they were showing me complete respect.
No, judging by the light in their eyes, it was more than respect—it was admiration.
“Mir suggested a control device, but given the urgency of our situation, we decided to create a rideable version instead.”
“It might be somewhat risky, but if we reinforce the defensive capabilities of the cockpit, it should become far more powerful.”
“For now, we’re the ones piloting them, but if we train specialized riders among our warriors, they should become even more formidable.”
“Equipping the golems with weapons might not be a bad idea either.”
“Oh! That’s an excellent idea. Let’s head to the Smithy right now and create a prototype.”
“Since we have enough equipment for our warriors anyway, I should propose to the Elder Council that we temporarily convert all the Smithies to golem production.”
They weren’t satisfied with merely awakening the golems.
They recognized the golems’ potential and were researching ways to enhance them further.
Watching them work, I realized that dwarves from First, Second, or anywhere else were all the same—driven by the same passion.
‘Yes, this gives me real hope.’
In truth, when I first arrived at the Stone Territory, what struck me most was how rapidly the Evil God was recovering its strength.
The green Stone God.
It had likely recovered far more power than the Red Lion.
Especially since the Stone God, unlike other Evil Gods, remained rooted in one place and didn’t move.
To defeat the Stone God, I would need to destroy all the countless golems surrounding and protecting it first.
That was far too difficult to accomplish alone.
But then…
“If we just swap the materials for stronger ore while keeping the Iron Golem’s design, wouldn’t we get a stronger golem?”
“We could even create lighter golems using lighter ore to increase their speed.”
“Or conversely, we could make heavier golems using denser ore to increase their destructive power.”
Watching the dwarves bring these golems to life filled me with confidence.
The dwarves’ rideable golems displayed power far beyond what I had imagined.
“Why didn’t they pass down such excellent technology?”
“With this, they could have defeated even far larger and stronger enemies without difficulty.”
“A mystery indeed.”
The Blacksmiths tilted their heads in puzzlement.
But I knew the reason.
‘They were trapped underground.’
When I played through First.
The dwarves had suffered at the hands of the Evil God, grew weary of the outside world, severed contact with the surface, and sealed themselves away in the depths below.
As such, except for the occasional monsters that emerged from the depths, there was no need to deploy golems in combat.
So only Dwarf Warriors remained to deal with the small monsters in the mines, while the golem mages gradually disappeared.
In any case, for the sake of these Blacksmiths.
“I’ll gather more materials.”
“Thank you so much!”
“We’ll create mass-production molds right away and begin producing golems in bulk.”
Together with the Dwarf Warriors, I began systematically advancing into the First Abandoned Mine, hunting the golems that would serve as our materials.
* * *
The largest and oldest mine in Moeldum.
The place where the ancestors first began excavating when they established Moeldum.
The First Abandoned Mine.
Mir and the Dwarf Warriors continued advancing through it.
“Mir, we’ll handle these creatures here!”
“We’ll bind them without damage, so take your time and dismantle them one by one!”
The Dwarf Warriors blocked the Iron Golems’ movements as much as possible.
While they did, Mir would shatter the Iron Golem’s core.
“We’ll haul it back!”
Strong Dwarf Warriors, or early-model golems like Steelrock 1 and 2, dragged the “materials” toward the rear.
The deeper they penetrated the abandoned mine, the wider the passages became, and the number of golems appearing increased.
“Steel Armor Unit 1, deploy!”
From that point on, proper combat golems created by the dwarves began to appear.
Steel Armor units started showing up.
Steel Armor not only refined the dwarf pilot seat more efficiently but also equipped armor crafted by the dwarves themselves.
Thanks to that, they didn’t flinch at the enemy Iron Golems’ attacks.
While Steel Armor held back the Iron Golems, Seo Deputy could safely destroy their mana cores.
Venturing deeper, golems began appearing that were too powerful and numerous to carefully destroy only their mana cores.
“Steel Hammer Unit 1! Deploying!”
This time, proper combat-type golems began to be manufactured.
While Steel Armor was a defensive golem wearing armor, Steel Hammer was a combat-type golem wielding a hammer instead.
A massive hammer crafted to perfectly match the golem’s size and strength.
A golem that wielded that hammer with perfect control.
Crash!!
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
Crushed the approaching Iron Golem with satisfying force.
Having researched golems and identified the average position of cores and various weak points, the dwarves’ enemy golems fell helplessly.
That wasn’t all.
“Ah, so that’s how you do it!”
Proper golem pilot training began in earnest.
The Blacksmiths regretted it, but they were precious personnel in Moeldum.
Since they had to research and manufacture golems, they had no choice but to need golem piloting specialists.
Usually, pilots were selected from among the Dwarf Warriors through volunteering.
Boom!!
“It’s so satisfying—I really like this!”
Being warriors, they adapted to combat situations much faster than the Blacksmiths.
With the fine manual dexterity characteristic of dwarves, they could quickly master how to pilot golems.
The dwarves, now captivated by golems, felt their latent potential—suppressed underground until now—explode forth.
“Lightweight golem! Steel Feather Unit 1 is deploying!”
“Heaviness is the answer, not lightness. Steel Mountain sortie! Destroy everything!”
Through rapid research and development, I began creating increasingly powerful golems.
Meanwhile.
Mir and the warriors delved deeper into the First Abandoned Mine, and higher-tier golems beyond Iron Golems began to appear.
“Grrrrr—.”
Crash!
Rune Golems, crudely wielding magic through the mana stones that formed their bodies and the rune characters naturally inscribed upon them.
Rumble—.
Lava Golems, the same ones that had erupted from the Lava Eruption Site when Mir first arrived in Moeldum.
Screech!
Obsidian Golems, their entire forms composed of jagged black obsidian, launching sharp attacks unlike any golems encountered thus far.
Various golems attacked relentlessly.
“Ohhh! New materials! If we study these, we could create an entirely new form of golem!”
To the dwarves, they were merely new materials to be harvested.
Originally, the dwarves of Moeldum trembled at the mere sight of golems because of the Evil God.
Now, whether warrior or Blacksmith, none viewed the golems as particularly threatening.
In mere days of Mir’s arrival in Moeldum, their entire perception had been inverted.
As Mir and the dwarves descended methodically through the First Abandoned Mine.
Uuuuung—.
At the deepest depths of the First Abandoned Mine.
A massive green ore embedded in the lowest point pulsed with an increasingly eerie luminescence.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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